Falling Slowly
by measureinlove14
Summary: Jacob Black/OC Tragedy brought Natalie to Forks, Washington. Love made her stay. Another Jacob/OC story filled with romance, adventure and one hunky werewolf.
1. I never wanted to wither

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing affiliated with Twilight.

The move to Forks, Washington came from the desperate notion of wanting to escape the pain that had shattered my family only months before. My brother, a star athlete with a promising future, collapsed on the last inning of his baseball game.

He passed away from a heart condition no one knew he even had.

He passed away before I ever got the chance to say goodbye.

My mom insisted on moving to Forks after his death. She had grown up here, but left as soon as she could to escape the small town life. She vowed to never go back to the town that would still remember her darkest days so I never understood why she was so desperate to move back there but I didn't fight her on it. It was too exhausting to make a case against her desperate desire to move; I had learned long ago that some battles were never worth fighting.

My car started up with a jolt and I instantly let out a sigh of relief. While my vintage Super Beetle was adorable and all, it was never that reliable. I pushed the clutch in to shift gears, and prayed that my luck would continue with my car.

Although the engine sputtered a bit, I managed to make it the high school without it dying. I felt a weight off my shoulders as I parked. At least I made it to school without dying. I swung the car door open carefully, stepped out and then slammed it closed with my hip.

My mom had warned me about the weather here and, always reminding me to be grateful that I was raised in a place of perpetual sunshine rather than the always-cloudy-rarely-sunny Forks. As I felt my hair-which I spent a half hour to curl-fall flat, I realized that she was right. I never realized the advantages of living in the sun until I was forced into the rain.

"Alright Natalie," I said to myself, "let's do this."

The high school was incredibly tiny so it only took me a few minutes to find my first class, English. The sky seemed to be on the brink of a storm so no one hung outside till the bell rang; I took it as a cue to head on inside.

The classroom was small and covered in cliché motivation posters. An older man with big glasses and a wiry beard stood at a podium with a copy of _The Catcher in the Rye_ in his hands.

"Can I help you?" he asked, his voice reflecting his age.

"Um, I'm Natalie. Today's my first day," I said.

"Oh! That's right, I got a memo about that somewhere," he said, pretending to scan his podium for the loose paper, "I'm not sure where I ended up putting that so you can just sit down at any empty desk."

I nodded my head, and walked in between the rows of desk to an empty one in the middle. To my left was a preppy looking girl with blonde hair pushed back by a thick headband and to my right was a sheepish looking guy who nervously waved at me.

"Um, what did you say your name was?" asked the preppy girl next to me.

"I'm Natalie," I said, extending my arm.

"I'm Jessica. Where'd you move from?" she asked while twirling a strand of hair with a finger.

"Los Angeles. My dad got a transfer to a company branch in Port Angeles. "

"You're from LA?" Suddenly, she seemed a lot more interested.

"Yeah, born and raised."

"That's ah-mazing! I can't even imagine what it must be like to live there. The boys must be so gorgeous. You'll have to tell me all about it at lunch!"

"Oh, um, sure. I'd love to tell you more about it."

"Awesome! Meet me at lunch, k?"

The class went by really fast; they were almost done with _Catcher in the Rye_ and were just about to start _the Great Gatsby_. A part of me was excited to be able to read the book in rainy weather since it's always been a fantasy of mine. The other part of me would like to prolong in any form of academic work for as long as possible.

My next class, Calculus, seemed to go off without a hitch. I loved the way the numbers fit together, the way that everything seemed to click when right or fail when wrong. Before I knew it, the first half of my day was gone and I stood in front of the whole student body with my lunch tray.

"Natalie!" called Jessica from a table to my left.

There were five other people sitting at the table, each of them giving me a slight nod or wave to welcome me.

"Hi," I said awkwardly, "I'm Natalie. I just moved here."

"Hey," they said collectively.

"I'm Mike," said a cute blonde guy.

"And I'm Eric."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"I'm Angela," said a pretty brunette with cat glasses.

"I'm Bella," said the other girl, "I just moved here from Arizona."

"I'm from Los Angeles. You'll have to tell me how to survive the cold."

"Yeah, of course. It's not the easiest transition."

"I'm starting to find that out."

There was a nervous chuckle from everyone at the table while I tore into my cafeteria burrito.

"Oh my gosh," I said, swallowing my food, "this is the most disgusting burrito I've ever had."

"What? Burrito Monday is the best!" cried Mike.

"Clearly, you've been deprived of good Mexican food." I said with a smirk.

The rest of lunch was rather pleasant; it turns out that they all enjoyed going to the local Indian reservation to go on hikes and go to the beach. The idea of going to a beach, a place that I spent a huge portion of my life, was so exciting.

The rest of the day dragged on compared to lunch. I had a class with Angela and two with Mike but the constant shushing from teachers made it impossible to talk. Before I knew it, I was walking back to my deathtrap of a car after a successful first day. The engine started smoothly and I decided that it was a sign that my life here would be better.

I decided to take a little bit of a detour to the café that Eric recommended. Bits of sunlight were fighting the clouds but were apparently losing since a few stray raindrops splashed down on my head. I rushed into the café, which was vacant except for a bored employee playing on her phone.

"Hi," I said as I stepped up to order, "can I have a biscotti?"  
"Mhmm. Are ya new here? I haven't seen your face before."

"Yeah, I just moved here." I said, unzipping my wallet to hand her a few dollars.

"Well sorry to hear you moved to Forks of all places. Here's your biscotti," she said.

"Thanks. See you around."  
"Mhmm."

I ate my biscotti quickly in my car, hoping that I could get home before the real rain starts pouring down. I started my car, turned the radio on and drove away.

I was so close to being home when I heard a large pop. I pulled over to the side of the road, noticing that my right front tire had completely blown out.

"Fantastic," I say out loud, "the one time my car actually runs, I get a flat freaking tire."

I opened the front of my car, the backwards trunk for any vintage VW beetle. The spare tire I had was old and probably couldn't last more than a few days but it'd have to do. I rolled the spare tire, jack and tire iron in hand.

I pumped the jack up, moving my car up in order to change the tire. As I worked on my car, I heard someone pull up from behind me.

"Do you need any help?" asked a male voice.

"Um, I'm good. Just a flat," I said and then turned my head to look over.

He was the best looking person I had ever seen. I could honestly say that he was tall, dark and handsome. Apparently I wasn't as aesthetically pleasing because he just managed to stare at me with a blank expression. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the brunette girl I had lunch with.

I think her name was Bella.

"Thanks for the offer though," I said, my voice sound incredibly small.

No answer. He just stared.

I've been put in many awkward conversations but this one takes the cake. He didn't respond or move or do anything but stare at me with a blank expression.

"I've got it from here," I said.

"Oh my gosh," he said, springing back to life, "I am so sorry! I just spaced out."

"Yeah, I'd say you were pretty much on another planet." I joked.

"I'm Jacob, by the way," he said, walking close to shake my hand.

"I'm Natalie. It's nice to meet you."

"Do you need any help with your car?" he asked.

"No. I'm actually really good with cars. You sort of have to be when you're driving a deathtrap like mine."

"True," he said, pointing to his beat up VW Rabbit, "I know a thing or two about that. I must say that your car is gorgeous. The paint job is fantastic."

"Thanks. I used to enter it in VW car shows back home but it's getting too unreliable and too much work for me to continue with that."

"So where are you from?" he asked, inspecting my car.

"I'm from Los Angeles but I just moved to Forks. My dad got transferred." I've learned it's better to explain something to someone your way then have them ask any questions.

"Well Forks just got a wonderful addition."

"Jacob" called Bella from behind him, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. Just chit chatting," he said while shooting me a wink.

"You're Natalie, right?" asked Bella, who was now standing beside Jacob.

"Yep. I met you earlier at lunch. Um, thanks for pulling over but I just have a flat tire. It's nothing major."

"Okay, as long as you feel like you can take it from here," said Bella, "because Jacob and I are supposed to be going over to watch some game at my dad's house."

"Yeah, I'm golden."

Bella grabs Jacob's arm and turns him around to walk back to the Rabbit.

"It was great meeting you, Natalie," he said before he got in his car.

"Likewise," I hollered.

If a girl like Bella can get a guy like Jacob, maybe Forks wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. I wanted to stand tall

Falling Slowly

Chapter Two: But I Want to

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

The second day of school was not nearly as miserable as I had predicted. The awkward glances and uncomfortable moments had diminished rapidly and I found myself getting lost in the crowd already. Mike was pretty persistent in wanting to walk me to my classes, even though I was pretty persistent in declining.

When I sat down at Mike's lunch table, I noticed that Bella shot me a really large grin. I smiled back and immediately started stuffing my mouth full of my chicken quesadilla. I must have made a face as I chewed the disgusting attempt for Mexican food because Angela and Eric chuckled.

"Again with the Mexican food! Really?" I asked, peeling off the top and examining it's contents.

"You should make us some authentic Mexican food then," teased Mike, "so we can know what we're missing."

I looked at him, impressed that he had the balls to say anything to me but glad that he did. I nodded, taking another God-awful bite of my food.  
"I'd love to!" I say, covering my mouth with my hand.

"Really?" asked Jessica, looking at me skeptically.

"Yeah. Just last night my parents were trying to get me to bring some of my new friends for a dinner or movie night. I bet I can arrange something with them."

"That'd be great," said Angela.

"I'll work out the details with my parents and let you guys know tomorrow," I said.

It wasn't like me to be overly-friendly but there was this huge urge to make friends, to leave my old self in Los Angeles and create a better version here. So I energetically talked about all the courses I'll make for them and the games we can play afterwards because eating Mexican food with new friends' sure beat being alone.

"I'm going to go buy a water bottle," I said, scooting out of my chair, "Anybody want anything?"

"Actually," chirps Bella, "I'll go with you."

She scoots out of her chair and we walk over to the vending machine in the hall.

"I never got to thank you for pulling over yesterday," I say, breaking the silence.

"Oh yeah, no worries. My friend Jake is like really, really good with cars. We fixed up some motorcycles—"

"What?! You ride?"

"Err, not really. Jake drives and I sort of tag a long."

"I am _so _jealous! My brother and I used to ride illegally back in LA. I'm sort of in love with motorcycles." It stung to mention my brother so casually but it felt liberating to speak of his life and not of his death.

"You should come with me after school. Jake would probably love someone to ride with."

I thought back to my meeting with Jacob and the constant nagging feeling that made me want to see more of him. Riding a motorcycle was just an added plus.

"That wouldn't be awkward?" I asked hesitantly.

"Jake isn't really the type for awkward moments. He's really friendly," she said.

"Alright. I'll meet you after school and follow you over to his house."

It's funny how much slower school passes when you actually have something to look forward to. I replayed my first meeting with Jacob, daydreaming about seeing his face—and perfect body—again. I prayed that Bella was right; I prayed that Jacob would be as excited to hang out with me as I was with him.

Bella waited patiently by her amazingly cool pick-up truck after school. I waved to her, letting her know that I'll follow her over to Jacob's. The drive took a little bit, and I drove through the incredibly La Push. Los Angeles had the excitement and business of a major city but it lacked the beauty of La Push. We pulled up to a small, rustic house where the gorgeous Jacob was precariously standing in front of. He looked surprised, but not unhappy to see me roll up in my ancient VW.

"Hey," I said as I got out of my car.

"Hey, I remember you!" He said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, uh, surprise! Bella was telling me that you guys have fixed up some motorcycles and invited me to check it out."

"You like bikes?" He asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I'd say that I'm pretty obsessed with them!"

"Well come on then!" Jacob grabs my elbow and forces me to run towards a large garage behind his house.

Bella laughed but walked behind us slowly. Jake's grip on my elbow was incredibly warm and made my stomach do these annoying flips. _You just got here, Natalie,_ I remind myself, _you cannot fall for someone this fast. _

"So you'll have to excuse the messiness of my shop. I know it's pretty disorganized—"

"No," I interjected, looking at his glorious garage, "it's perfect."

He beamed at me, showing me his incredibly white and perfect teeth. My stomach is doing the flips of Olympic gymnasts. He is so, so beautiful.

_You just met him_, I thought.

But he's so beautiful.

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for reading this story and I hope you enjoy reading this chapter! I have decided to use this fanfiction as a way for me to keep up with writing something other than college essays. To be frank, I am not the hugest Twilight fan but I have always loved Jacob and I always felt he deserved a different ending. Once again, thank you for checking this story! **


	3. Like a fool who left the river

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Chapter Three: Like a fool left a river

**Bella's POV: **

I stood awkwardly in Jake's garage as I watched Natalie fawn over the motorcycles and Jake fawn over her. He didn't have to tell me that he imprinted when he saw her change a tire, I could see it in his eyes.

I couldn't blame him for falling for Natalie, she was beautiful. Her long brown hair hung in loose waves that framed perfectly around her tan face. Her light brown eyes sparkled as she talked and smiled. She was so beautiful and he was so beautiful that it only made sense.

"I know they aren't fancy Harley's," said Jacob, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Harley's are over-rated," joked Natalie.

Jake laughed a little too loudly and a little too much but Natalie didn't seem to mind. She was too transfixed in all that is Jacob and I can't blame her for that either. He is _that_ wonderful.

There's a part of me that feels jealous of Natalie for being his imprint because I knew there was a part of me that longed for me to be his imprint. Jacob represented my only shot of ever being loved, of ever having my heart healed after the colossal damage left by Edward.

He was my only chance of ever being whole again and I was watching him slip through my fingers like sand. He was falling head over heels in love with a girl that I could not even attempt to compete with.

She is his imprint and I have to accept that whether or not I wanted to.

She won his heart with just a glance and he was stealing hers with some motorcycles.

I cannot blame them.

**Author's Note: I realize this chapter is super short but I wanted to make a quick chapter in Bella's perspective. Obviously, Jake has imprinted on Natalie and it is set in New Moon because Edward is gone. I hope you guys enjoyed this mini chapter and thank you so much to you those who reviewed/favorited/etc. Thank you!**


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